Strand-traverse guide



E. J. ABBOTT STRAND TRAVERSE GUIDE June 1 1926.

Filed July 28, 1925 2 Sheets Sheet 1 June '1 1926. r 1,586,767

7 E. J.'ABBOT T STRAND TRAVERSE GUIDE Filed July 28, 1925 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Patented June 1, 1926.

near stares;

EDWARD JAMES. ABBGTT, E WILTON,.NEVV HAMFSHIBE STRAND-TRAVERSE GUIDE;

Application filed July 28, 1925.

o This invention relates to textile machinery and-more especially to traverse guide mechanism applicable to winding or other machines wherein one or more strands must be reeiprocated rapidly in a transverse direction in passing from a source of supply to the place of winding or other point of use or manipulation. V-Vhile certain features of the invention are of value, irrespective of the number of strands to be handled, it is contemplated that the invention will find its greatest utility when embodied in traverse mechanism for simultaneously handling, a plurality of strands.

The reciprocating parts of astrand trav A erse mechanism should be as light as pos sible toavoid undue wear of: the traverse cam or other actuating mechanism, to reduce vibration and noise,and to minimize the 2 power consumed in driving the machine, while at the same time the strand guide or guides should move accurately in a definite predetermined path in order properly and certainly to deliver the strand or strandsto the point of use, for example to place the strand: or strands in. regular coils or windings to form. a yarn package.

When a plurality of strands are simulta neously to be traversed, as in winding a plurality of ends upon the same spool or spindle to form a single package or series of coaxial packages, it is desired for simplicity of construction and accuracy of operation to employ a single elongatereciprocating part or bar carrying guide elements for all. of the strands or yarns, instead of using individual guides for the several yarns, but if. a single reciprocating part adapted tocarry a plurality of yarn guides be reduced in weight to the desired degreevit is prone to yield or buckle when rapidly reciprocating thus in terfering with accurate delivery of the yarn.

In developing: the present invention I have taken advantage of, the factuthat an elongate element, even though thin flexible, and. incapable When unsupported, of withstanding any substantial longitudinal thrust or coinpressive stress without bending, buckling. or other deformation, may he renderedcapable of withstanding and transmitting such thrust or stressfwithout deformation if it be at all times confined throughout itsenthe length, between rigid guide elements.

Utilizing this tprinciplel am able toemploy light, .th'inan'd -fiexible: ribbon-like:traverse ba et sub ntia y nr esire a ea and Serial No. 46,572.

furnished with any desired. number of strand guides, and by providing proper guide means (usually though not necessarily rectilinear) for'confining the bar, I may reciprocateit, together with the strands supported thereby, at any desired speed without danger of improper placing of the strands andwith a minimum amount of; vibration and expendi,-

ture of power.

Inthe accompanying drawings in which a prefenred embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example associated with a winding machine for winding a pluralityof yarn ends from a source of supply upon. a winding spool or spindle,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of suclu a machine, partly broken away, having the improved traverse mechanism embodied therein;

Qis a fragmentary end elevation of the-machine of Fig.1.

Fig, 31s a fragmentaryv section. substan tially on the line 3.-3 ofF-ig. 2;

Fig. i is a fragmentary section substantially on the line as of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a section substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig; 4; and;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the traverse guide and associated. parts removed from the machine.

Referring to the drawings, the numerals; 1 and 2 indicate spaced frame members of the winding machine, such frame members being connected by means of suitable girders The frame members 1 and 2 support bearings for a shaft 4- which projects outwar'dly beyond the frame 1 and is provided with fast and loose pulleys 6 and 6 respectively adapted to receive a drivingbel-t (not shown) driven from any suitable source of power. The shaft 4 supports; a winding drum 50f cylindrical form, and of suitable diameter adapted. fr'ictio nall-y to engage. the surface. of the yarn package which is being woundand to, drive.- the same- The; f meal and; 2;.aiso providebearings for. ashaft? carrying an unwindingdriving drum 8 adapted frictional-1y to eng g e the unwinding yarn package and. to dr ve the latter positively at a predetermined; speed.

The-shafts projectsoutwardly beyen l he frame 2 and s wi ted it T a cone pulley 9 which-.divesia cone pulley 10 mounted upon. the end of, the shaft. 7:. by 5 a a e it-a le be t "E is e t i hi fif' l in impell r and- 0w e? the l ts ii 't'sl wa y neares face of the tubular guide 29.

a suitable shipper 12 which may be adjusted by means of a screw threaded shaft 13 provided with a hand wheel l t.

The frames 1 and support horizontally adjustable guide members 15 and 10 having vertical slots disposed substantially in the vertical plane of the shat't These slots are adapted to receive the opposite ends oi a winding spindle 17. This winding spindle may itself form the core for the winding yarn mass or may support or form an integral part of a spool 18, having heads 19, upon which the yarn mass or masses may be woun d.

The frames 1 and 2 likewise support adjustable brackets and 21 provided with vertical slots disposed in the vertical plane of the shaft 7 and adapted to receive the unwinding spindle 22 which in this instance is shown as forming part of the unwinding spool 27, having the heads 2 1, upon which the unwinding or supply yarn masses are woundt The yarns extend from the several yarn masses 25 upon the spool 23 to the spool 18 where they are individually wound to form the yarn packages 25.

In order to traverse the yarns and cause them properly to wind in the desired manner upon the spool 18, the traverse mechanism forming the subject matter of the present invention is provided. This traverse mechanism is held in pla e by means of suitable clamping devices 2? and 28 carried by the frames 1 and respectively, and comprises a tubular elongate guide rail 29 (Figs. 4-. and 5) which is arranged parallel to the axis of th winding drum 18 and which ha a slot J disposed in a vertical radial plane and extending through the entire thickness of its wall. This slot is at the upper part of the guide 29 and extends substantially from one supporting frame ot the machine to the other.

The hollow rail 29 forms a support and guide for a traverse bar 31. This bar may be made substantially as thin as desired to reduce its weight and preferably consists of a thin, flat and normally flexible ribbon oi. sheet steel or aluminum. The lower edge 32 of this bar rests upon the inner sur- Throughout the greater part of its length the bar is of a vertical width substantially greater than the diameter of the rail 29 so that it pro vides an upper portion 33 projecting beyond the outer surface of the rail. This projecting portion 33 is furnished with a plurality of yarn guide elements, for example guide eyes or openings 34 adapted respectively to receive the several yarns on their way from the spool 23 to the spool 18.

. In Figs. 5 and 6 the slot has been shown of exaggerated Width in order to indicate that the bar 31 is free'to movelongitudmally, but as actually constructed the side walls 35 and 36 of the slot bear lightly against opposite sides of the bar 231 and thus support the latter at its opposite faces along lines immediately below the row of guide openings 31. Thus when the bar is subjected to endwise thrust in reciprocating it it can not bend or buckle even though it may be extremely thin and light and although it supports and moves a large number of yarns.

One end of the bar 31 is reduced in width so that it does not project substantially above the outer surface ot the guide 29 and this reduced end portion of the bar is connected by rivets 37 or other suitable means to an extension member 38, preferably of circular cross section having a sliding lit in the bore of the rail 29. The extension 38 ot' the bar 31. is furnished with a pin '39 which projects out through a short elongate slot ll) at the lower side of the bar and at a part of the bar which projects beyond the frame 1 as indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The pin 31 carries a freely turning roller 41 adapted to traverse the slot and to engage the side walls of the slot. thus keeping the bar 31 from turning substantially relatively to the guide 29 and thereby preventing the bar from cramping in the slot 30.

The pin 39 also carries a cam follower roll 12 which engages a cam slot 43 in a cylindrical cam as which is mounted upon a stub sha it all (Fig. 2) projecting from the frame 1. The cam 1 1 carries a pulley 45 which is driven by means of a belt 46 engaging a pulley 17 mounted upon the shaft 7.

As above described the several yarns '26 leading from the spool 23 pass through the corresp mding guide openings l-lot the bar 31 on their way to the spool \Yhen the machine is started the drums S and 5 unwind the yarns from the spool 2 and wind them upon the spool 18 respectivel and at the same time the cam l rcciprocates the bar ll thus traversing the several yarns in the desired manner to lay them in coils to "form the yarn package 20.

As above pointed out the traverse bar 3! is very light and thin and may readily be reciprocated at high speed without undue wear on the same or the production ot undesirable noise and vibration, while at the same time the lateral support tarnished by the guide 29 and which extends throughout. the entire length of the bar in all positions of the latter, prevents the traverse bar from buckling or bending even when reciprocated at high speed and carrying a large number of yarns.

While the hollow tubular guide rail 27 is preferred and forms a simple and eflicient means for supporting, guiding and confining the traverse bar, I contemplate that Eli other types of guide may be substituted therefor without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. Traverse mechanism of the class described comprising a thin, fiat, and normally flexible elongate bar provided with a strand guiding element, means for reciprocating the bar, and fixed guide means extending substantially the entire length of the bar at opposite sides thereof positively to confine the bar to the desired path of movement.

2. Traverse mechanism of the class described comprising spaced elongate guide elements, an elongate reciprocating member disposed between and slidably guided by said elements, said reciprocating member being provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced strand guiding elements, and means for moving the reciprocating member.

3. Traverse mechanism of the class described comprising a fixed tubular guide having a narrow radial guide slot in its wall, a thin elongate bar disposed within the slot in the fixed guide, one edge of the bar engaging the inner surface of the guide and its other edge projecting beyond the outer surface of the guide, the outwardly projecting edge of the bar being provided with a series of spaced strand guiding elements, and means for reciprocating the bar relatively to the guide.

4. Traverse mechanism of the class described comprising a thin elongate flat bar provided with a series of spaced strand guide openings extending longitudinally thereof, means for reciprocating the bar longitudinally, and guide means con'iprising spaced parallel elongate members engaging opposite sides of the bar respectively closely adjacent to the series of strand guide openings.

5. Traverse mechanism of the class described comprising a tubular guide having a radial slot in its wall, a thin flat elongate bar radial to the guide and sliding freely in the slot therein, one edge of the bar resting upon the inner surface of the guide, the bar having a portion thereof projecting outwardly through the slot beyond the outer surface of the guide, the outwardly projecting portion of the bar having a series of spaced strand guide openings, means for reciprocatin the bar, and means positively retaining said bar in radial position relatively to the guid a 6. Traverse mechanism of the class described comprising a tubular guide having an elongate slot in its side wall, the guide also having a relatively short slot near one end and diametrically opposite to the first slot, a bar sliding in the guide, said bar having a part projecting through the first slot, said projecting part being provided with a series of spaced strand guiding openings, and means for reciprocating the bar, said means comprising an element reciproeating in the short slot in the guide.

7. Traverse mechanism of the class described comprising a tubular guide having an elongate slot in its side wall, the guide also having a relatively short slot near one end and diametrically opposite to the first slot, a bar sliding in the guide, said bar having a part projecting through the first slot, said part being provided with a series of spaced strand guiding openings, and means for reciprocating the bar, said means comprising a pin projecting from the bar through the short slot in the guide, a cam follower roll carried by the pin, a cam engaging the follower roll, and a guide roll turning freely on the pin and engageable with the side walls of the short slot in the guide.

Signed by me at Narragansett Pier, R. 1., this 24th day of July, 1925.

ED /VARD J AMES ABBOTT. 

